Mugged
by Shena1
Summary: Castle wants to make Beckett some coffee... but he can't seem to locate her mug! Takes place sometime mid-Season 5... [One-Shot]


**Huge thanks to anyone who has read any of my other stories. Didn't think anyone would notice. I'm very humbled.**

**I'd shake all of your hands, but then it might get weird, so let's just go with internet hugs. :)**

**However...**

**I really need to stop talking to Trinxy... she keeps making me think of new things to write about! ;)**

* * *

_'Shit.'_

He shoved the stack of plates to the side to take another look behind them… even though he'd looked there three times already.

"Where the heck did it go?" he muttered to himself.

Castle released a frustrated sigh, furrowing his brow as he stared at the contents of the open cupboard.

Beckett had gone to the morgue and he wanted to have a fresh cup of coffee waiting for her upon her return. She'd be back any moment… and he couldn't find her mug anywhere!

_'This is not good!'_ his brain screamed.

He'd already checked her desk area four times, the observation room twice, and even the conference room three times. He'd practically rearranged the contents of all of the cupboards in the break room. Not a complete loss… those shelves really needed a good dusting! But what he wanted to find - no,_ needed_ to find - was that blue mug! And it was nowhere to be seen! Gone!

Anxiety levels rising, Castle quickly shuffled over to Ryan's desk. "Hey."

"Hey, Castle."

"Uh… Ryan, you haven't seen Beckett's coffee mug, have you?"

Glancing up slightly from his paperwork, Ryan tilted his head inquisitively. "Beckett's coffee mug?"

"Yeah, you know? The blue mug that she _always_ drinks from?!"

"Does she?" Ryan asked, a slight grin forming as he touched his pencil to the tip of his tongue.

"Come on, Ryan!" Castle pleaded. "Help a guy out, here!"

"Help with what, Bro?"

Castle turned slightly to see Esposito approaching.

"Castle lost Beckett's mug," Ryan interjected, smirking ever so slightly.

"I didn't _lose_ it, Ryan!" the writer protested. "I just can't_ find_ it! There's a difference!"

"What's the big deal, Castle?" Espo remarked, picking up a file from his desk. "It's just a mug."

_Just a mug?!_ Castle wanted to explode! It was _so_ not _just a mug!_

How could _that_ mug be _just_ a mug? That would be like saying that coffee is _just_ coffee! The way her eyes always lit up whenever she saw him approaching, mug in hand. That mug was the vehicle by which Richard Castle proclaimed his love for Kate Beckett every day for the past few years.

That mug was him - consistent, reliable, dependable, present.

That mug has always said everything he could never verbalize.

And he can't find it!

What does that say about him? What will she think?... that he doesn't care? _'I bring you a coffee every day just to see a smile on your face.' _Castle shook his head. It's not just the coffee. It's the whole package. It's the coffee itself, it's the fact that it came from him, it's the fact that he knows how to make it just the way she likes it, it's the fact that he brings it to her - allowing the mug to be his proxy at the precinct.

It's like Romeo wishing he could be the glove on Juliet's hand. He can't touch her silky skin, he can't kiss her luscious mouth… but the mug can. And it does... everyday. It tastes her soft lips when he can't. It caresses her tongue when he can't. She holds it in a loving embrace when she is prohibited from enfolding herself around him.

Watching her drink from that mug, eyes dark and aroused, has been one way they have been able to kiss without kissing. Touch without touching.

But now the mug was gone!

"Have you checked in the sink, Bro?"

"Seriously, Esposito? Of course I checked the sink! Six times!"

"What about Beckett's desk?" Ryan suggested.

The writer continued to shake his head, "Not there."

"Maybe someone else is using it," Esposito offered.

Sheer terror curtained across Castle's blanched face. _Someone else using Beckett's mug?!_ That was just wrong on so many levels! He quickly glanced around the bullpen, surveying the surfaces of all the desks… nothing. Then, in a moment of panic, his eyes landed on Gates' office.

No. No way. If she… if it… oh God.

He swallowed the bile that rose in his mouth as he gingerly crossed over to the Captain's office. He closed his eyes. He felt sick.

The thought of Gates' mouth on Beckett's mug... it made him cringe, his stomach knotting itself.

Taking a deep breath, Castle poked his head through the door. Eyes still closed, he tried his best to mentally prepare himself._ 'Okay...'_ he thought to himself, _'Like a bandaid. Do it quick.'_

One…

Two…

Three.

His eyes shot open to see… nothing. Gates' desk was neat and tidy. All the pens in the pencil holder, all her files neatly stacked on the left corner. Nothing out of place. Prim and proper - just like the Captain herself. But no mug.

The writer let out a long sigh of relief. His ease, however, was all too brief as he heard a familiar voice break the silence. "Hey guys, Lanie found bleach in the lungs. We get any hits on the mystery man from our sketch?"

"Yeah…" Ryan began as the boys advanced to meet Beckett at her desk.

Castle was uncharacteristically silent as he listened to the detectives debrief each other in front of the Murder Board.

"The ex is in The Box right now. Uniforms brought him in about ten minutes ago," Espo noted.

"I think he's waited long enough," Beckett stated flatly, grabbing her folder and heading towards the interrogation room.

Castle remained where he was, mind completely unaware of his surroundings - silently brainstorming all the possible locations that the mug might be hiding.

Like a Siren call, Beckett's voice snapped him from his trance. "You coming, Castle?"

The writer's head reeled quickly, looking up to see a puzzled female detective halfway across the bullpen beckoning him with a nod of her head. He didn't need to turn his head to hear the boys snickering behind him.

"How about you take this one with Espo. I'm gonna finish scrubbing the security cam footage with Ryan."

"You are?..." Ryan asked quietly, but cut himself off as Castle turned his head and wordlessly glared at the Irish detective. "Oh, yeah, right. We were just finishing… that… yeah," he added, the words fumbling out of his mouth.

Esposito just shook his head as he rolled his eyes. Yeah, between him and his partner, Castle was more certain than ever that Espo was the better liar.

He needed to buy himself some time to locate her mug. Take-out was his only saving grace right now. He could get to the coffee shop and be back before Beckett was done with her interrogation. As soon as he saw Beckett and Esposito close the door behind them, Castle bolted from the bullpen towards the elevator.

"I guess I'll just scrub that video alone then, huh?" Ryan called out, but Castle had already vanished.

* * *

"I'm gonna have a quick shower," she voiced from the bedroom.

"Almost done here," Castle smiled, eyes locked to his computer monitor. "I'll join you in a minute."

As he heard the water starting to run, he closed the web page that he'd been perusing and put his credit card back in his wallet.

"You comin', Castle?" Beckett called from inside the bathroom.

_'Yes… yes I am,'_ he thought to himself, a sly smirk escaping his lips.

He entered the bathroom and started to peel his shirt from his body.

"Hey, Castle, can you do something for me quickly?" Beckett asked from inside the shower.

"I was planning on taking it slow, but if fast is what you want…"

"Castle, be serious."

"I am," he said, wiggling his eyebrows.

He could hear her roll her eyes from behind the steam covered glass wall.

"Can you just put a reminder in my phone about my mug?"

Castle was only partially listening up until that point as he was removing his pants, his mind somewhere else… somewhere salacious. But this got his undivided attention.

"Your… _mug_?" he practically choked.

"Yeah, I don't want to forget to bring it back to the precinct with me tomorrow."

"Bring it back?..." he squeaked.

"Yeah. I brought it home to wash it really well. You know, like I usually do every couple of weeks. Just forgot to bring it with me this morning and I don't want to forget it again tomorrow."

Castle bit his tongue as his mind raced. Guess it was too late to cancel his purchase.

"You planning on joining me any time soon, Castle? I've probably drained the Hudson by now."

"Yeah… yeah…" he sighed, opening the shower door.

* * *

He'd told Beckett that he'd needed the day to write, but he just wanted to ensure he was home when the UPS guy arrived with his special order. Twenty-Four identical blue ceramic mugs. At least he'd have back-ups next time.

* * *

**So there you go... Judge away.**

**Special thanks to Fooxoo for the art that inspired this... even though she had no idea. ;)**


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